What are Micro Frontends and When to Use Them

First, let's start with what are micro frontends? Micro frontends are an architectural style that divides the front end of a web application into much smaller and free sections. Each unit is responsible for a distinct application feature, much like microservices do for the backend.

Key Characteristics:

• Decomposition: The front end is split into smaller, manageable parts, each focusing on a specific business domain.
• Independence: Teams can develop, deploy, and scale their features independently of each other.
• Technology Agnostic: Different teams can use different frontend technologies, allowing for flexibility and innovation.

There are primarily three types of structures in micro frontend architecture, each serving different project needs:

• Monorepository (Monorepo): This approach involves housing all micro frontends in a single repository. Although it might seem contradictory to the principle of independence, it simplifies dependency management and version control, fostering better coordination among components that need to interact closely.
• Multirepository (Multirepo): In contrast to the monorepo, the multirepo technique allows each microfrontend to reside in its own repository. This maximizes independence, simplifies deployment cycles, and minimizes the possibility of cross-group conflicts in the codebase.
• Metarepository (Metarepo): A hybrid approach, the metarepo combines elements of both mono and multirepo structures. It allows for independent development while maintaining a central repository that can help streamline some aspects of project management and integration.

The architecture of micro frontends involves several key elements:

• Vertical Organization: Each micro frontend is responsible for a discrete component of the application, encompassing everything from the user interface to the data handling. This vertical slicing ensures that teams can operate independently without frequent dependencies on other parts of the application.
• Independent Deployment: Teams can deploy their components independently. This autonomy accelerates system deployment, reduces downtime, and minimizes the impact of any single problem failure on the general software.
• Technology Agnosticism: Teams are freed to choose their technology stack, allowing them to use great equipment for their unique needs, which encourages innovation and performance.

Micro frontend architecture allows each part of the application to be developed and managed by exclusive teams. This can be especially useful in organizations with multiple web application development teams. This method promotes parallel development and can lead to faster deployment and updates.

• How They Work: Runtime Integration: Unlike traditional applications where all components are tightly coupled and compiled into a single bundle, micro frontends are integrated at runtime. This means they are assembled when the application loads in the user's browser, which allows for more dynamic updates and upgrades
• Isolation: Since each micro frontend is independent, failures in one area do not necessarily cripple the entire application. This isolation can enhance the overall stability and reliability of the application.

Micro frontends are not a one-size-fits-all technology. It's important to know when to use micro frontends. They are best used under certain conditions and project requirements.

Ideal Use Cases:

• Complex Applications: They shine in environments where the application is large and complex, involving multiple teams working on different parts of the application.
• Diverse Teams: If angular or react developers prefer or have expertise in different technologies, micro frontends allow each team to choose the best stack for their needs without affecting others.
• Scalable Projects: They are suitable for projects expected to scale significantly, requiring flexible and independent scaling options for various components.

React and Angular offer distinct advantages that can be amplified when used with micro frontends.

Micro Frontends React Approach:

• Flexibility and Speed: React's virtual DOM and component-based architecture make it a good fit for dynamic and efficient updates, which is essential for micro frontends.
• Wide Support: React’s large ecosystem of tools and community support makes it easier to implement robust micro frontends

Angular Micro Frontends Strategy:

• Structured Approach: Angular’s comprehensive web development framework supports micro frontend architectures, especially through features like Module Federation, which allows for seamless integration of various components.
• Consistent Development Environment: Angular provides a consistent structure and set of tools that can be beneficial when managing multiple teams and modules.

Implementing micro frontends successfully requires adherence to certain best practices.

• Autonomous Deployment: Each micro front end architecture should be capable of being deployed independently to speed up the process and reduce dependencies.
• Unified User Experience: The frontends should provide a cohesive and seamless user experience despite the backend independence.
• Local State Management: Handling states locally within each micro frontend can simplify development and reduce dependencies on external states.

The micro frontend architecture offers numerous benefits:

• Faster time-to-market:Smaller, focused teams can develop, review, and deploy faster, accelerating the release of new features and upgrades.
• Improved scalability: Because components are independent, an application can scale elements as needed without affecting the entire device.
• Improved Fault Isolation: If one micro frontend fails, the others can continue functioning, which enhances the overall reliability of the application.
• Easier Upgrades and Updates: Teams can update their components without coordinating with the entire frontend team, allowing for continuous improvement without significant downtime.
• Diverse Technology Adoption: Different teams can adopt new technologies as they see fit, which leads to a more robust and versatile development environment.

While micro frontends offer so many benefits, they also come with their own set of challenges.

Common Challenges:

• Integration Complexity: The more micro frontends you have, the more complex the integration can become for react or angular developers.
• Resource Overhead Each micro frontend may introduce additional resource requirements, potentially affecting performance.

Solutions:

• Effective Communication: Implementing a standard communication protocol like an event bus can facilitate interaction between micro frontends.
• Performance Optimization Techniques such as lazy loading and asynchronous loading can help mitigate performance issues and improve user engagement.